The present invention relates to a component spacer for maintaining a gap between two components of an assembly of components. It is particularly useful for maintaining a gap in an electrical circuit between an electrical component such as a resistor and a printed circuit board to which it is electrically connected.
Component spacers are used in electrical circuits to space circuit components above printed circuit boards during the assembly process when the component leads are soldered to the boards. The spacers may be retained in place to permit heat from, e.g., high wattage resistors, to be dissipated in the air. The spacers are normally strips of Teflon or other suitably heat resistant plastic material which are wedged between the component and the circuit board to maintain a clearance. However, these strips may become loose in the assembly process or later in use because of the differences in thermal expansion between the component leads and the wedged strip. The strips may then be easily dislodged. Thus, the spacers sometimes are removed after the components are assembled on the printed circuit boards.
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a component spacer which is self-locking and cannot become dislodged. Such a component spacer need not be intentionally removed before the board is used.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a self-locking component spacer which has a substantial air gap between the component and the circuit board.